Crime

Nashville TV Reporter Covering School Shooting Reveals Her 'Angel' Mother-in-Law Survived the Attack

"My mother-in-law is the front desk… angel," reporter Hannah McDonald told viewers

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Published on March 27, 2023 04:19 PM

As a deadly mass shooting at a Nashville elementary school unfolded Monday, a TV news journalist reporting live on the tragedy revealed that her mother-in-law was among the survivors.

Police confirmed three children and three adults were killed after a lone shooter opened fire at The Covenant School.

According to a tweet from the Metro Nashville Police Department, the perpetrator has been identified as a 28-year-old Nashville resident who was a former student at the school and who was killed in a shootout with police. The shooter's name has not been released.

According to the Associated Press, WTVF-TV reporter Hannah McDonald said that her mother-in-law who works the front desk at the school stepped outside for a break Monday morning, when she heard gunfire.

"My mother-in-law is the front desk… angel," McDonald told viewers, Deadline reports. "She was at the school this morning. Diana [presumably her mother-in-law] was, however, able to come out of this safe."

"And that is why, right now, I am just… torn," she continued, per the outlet.

Speaking with ABC News, McDonald's husband, Alex Apple confirmed his mother was at her car when she received an alert to shelter in place.

"She got out of her car, heard the gunshots, so she fled," Apple said.

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Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said the shooter, armed with two "assault-type rifles" and one pistol, entered The Covenant School through the side entrance before opening fire Monday morning.

The shooter was engaged on the second floor of the building by two police officers who responded to a 10:13 a.m. call, and died at the scene, said Aaron.

According to its website, The Covenant School was founded in 2001 by the Covenant Presbyterian Church, and the average enrollment is 195-210.